My computer has been operating very slowly. I've done all the virus/spyware scans, hijackthis, tweaking, etc. and no problems were found.

My PC, however may be the culprit. I've noticed a loud "whirring" sound from the PC occasionally, almost like a jet taking off. I don't think that's a good thing.

Could my PC be the problem for slow performance and not some virus/spyware?

Thanks

we need specs.

CPU
OS
Amount of RAM
Etc.

...also what's the resident ("running") software. If you've installed some new software or media player, etc., that can cause some dismal performance issues, etc.

Have you checked the fan vents are clear lately?

How about a screenshot of your task manager with CCleaner open as well? That can give us lots of details (CCleaner shows the hardware information, the task manager will let us know if you have too many services/programs going on in the background).

I'll second what Jago says. (as well as the other suggestions)

A shot of your Task Manager when the whirring starts, and if you're not quick enough, try to see in Task Manager if any particular service is using max cpu resources.

I recently had a problem with an HP service, KBD.exe, reacting with one of the svchost.exe's, and maxing out the cpu. It happened too often and had to disable KBD.exe. (not needed, so no loss)

The whirring noise was the fans coming on to cool the cpu down.

Just in case you aren't aware, you can launch Task Manager very quickly by hitting Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

How do I go about getting a screenshot of my task manager?

I did open it up but there is very little running on it.

Specs on CPU:

Windows XP Pro Service pack 2
Pentium 4 CPU, 3 GHz
2.99 GHz
504MB of ram

See here on how to take one, the Prt Scrn (print screen)button is usually to the right of your F12 button


http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/s...screenshot.mspx


and then see here on how to post it

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=13668

I just had tech support at my office check out my CPU. He said I have some "bloated capacitators" which could cause my system to crash and may be the reason for the slowness.

He is checking into Dell for any recall or may have to order new parts.

Does this sound like it could be the reason for the slowness?

Thanks

Please read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

Google is your friend.

If the capacitors look like they have convex heads, then you should consider replacing your motherboard.

tommy you have a Dell? ha, remember that saying? "Dude! your getting a Dell"? Well, for me it's "Dude! your getting a piss of crap"

no hard feelings though. Dells aren't built to last.

It's not my at-home computer, but the one at work. We are a state agency which probably bought the lowest bid computers. And yes, Dell is a dud, dude!

My home computer is a custom one and has served me well for quite a while, especially with using Mozilla, Thunderbird, all the anti-spyware and virus recommendations given here by many knowledgeable people.

My motherboard was replaced today due to "bloated capacitors", but the computer is still running slow. Now what?

You can check fan speed in the BIOS all so Clean & CHKDSK C: /F [or do with on the drive] then defrag if you got the disk do the sfc /scannow [ that will see dills are ok and fix ] if XP in Computer Management > Disk Management Status Dose it say Healthy? need more info like do you have it set for Best Performanc or let Windows Pick 3GB CPU & 500MB RAM be ok

512 MB of RAM could be the problem. I upgraded to 2 GB's and it is a lot faster than it used to be.

AJ